Anna Cappellini (born 19 February 1987) is an Italian

ice dancer Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. A ...

. With partner Luca Lanotte, she is the 2014 World champion, the 2014 European champion, the

2015 Cup of China The 2015 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on November 6–8. Medals were ...

champion and a thirteen-time medalist on the Grand Prix series, and a seven-time Italian national champion (2012–18).

Personal life

Cappellini was born 19 February 1987 in

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

, Italy. She is a member of the

Polizia Penitenziaria The Polizia Penitenziaria (English: Prison Police), formally the Corpo di Polizia Penitenziaria, is a Law enforcement in Italy, law enforcement agency in Italy which is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice (Italy), Italian Ministry of Justice ...

's sports group, the Fiamme Azzurre. She has expressed interest in studying physiotherapy after her skating career is over. In August 2014, it was announced that she was engaged to pair skater

Ondřej Hotárek Ondřej Hotárek (born 25 January 1984) is a Czech-Italian pair skater and coach who began competing for Italy in 2006. He competed with Valentina Marchei until the end of their partnership in 2018. With former partner Stefania Berton, he is the ...

. The couple married on June 20, 2015, in

, Italy. Their daughter Diana was born on July 2, 2021.

Early career

Cappellini started skating at the age of three and switched to ice dance when she was 11 or 12. She skated with Federico Bassi, Luca Lombardi, and Matteo Zanni. She and Zanni placed fifth at the 2004 World Junior Championships. The next season, they won the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final but had to withdraw from the 2005 Junior Worlds after the original dance due to Zanni's food poisoning. Their partnership ended after his father was severely injured in a car accident and he decided to stop competing.

Partnership with Lanotte

2005–06 to 2008–09

Cappellini was partnered with Lanotte in May 2005 by the Italian skating federation. Following a strong season together on the junior circuit, Cappellini/Lanotte made their senior debut in 2006–07. They finished 8th at their first

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

. Before their next event, Worlds, Cappellini suffered a torn labrum in her left shoulder. In the free dance at Worlds, they fell during a lift and finished 13th. In 2007–08, Cappellini/Lanotte won their first Grand Prix medal, a silver at

Skate Canada Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual C ...

, moved up to seventh at

, and finished in the top ten at Worlds. In 2008–09, Cappellini/Lanotte did not medal in either of their Grand Prix appearances, but moved up to 5th at

and were again tenth at Worlds. In the off-season, they decided to change coaches, and moved to

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, to train with Muriel Boucher-Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer.

2009–10 season

Cappellini/Lanotte had a strong start in 2009–10, winning silver medals at the

Cup of Russia The Rostelecom Cup () – originally known as the Cup of Russia () – was an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Figure Skating Federation of Russia. The first i ...

and

Skate America Skate America is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating. The first Skate America was in held in 1979 in Lake Placid, New York, as a test event fo ...

and qualifying for their first Grand Prix Final, where they finished fifth. They then placed sixth at the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

, and finished outside the top ten at their first

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

. They then finished 11th at the 2010 World Championships; in the free dance, the two collided during the twizzle sequence, causing Cappellini to fall, and received low levels on several elements.

2010–11

Cappellini/Lanotte began the 2010–11 season at the

Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the German Ice Skating Union () and held in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition debuted in 1969 and is na ...

. They were first in the short dance and fourth in the free dance, finishing in second place overall. They then placed fifth at the

2010 NHK Trophy The 2010 NHK Trophy was the first event of six in the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Nippon Gaishi Ice Arena in Nagoya on October 22–24. Medals were aw ...

, after which they decided to leave coach Muriel Zazoui and move back to Milan to train with Paola Mezzadri. They withdrew from

2010 Skate America The 2010 Skate America was the fourth event of six in the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon on November 11–14. Med ...

in order to prepare a new free dance. Cappellini/Lanotte later missed Italian nationals and the

because Lanotte had a knee injury. In 2011, they began splitting their time between Milan and Nikolai Morozov in Novogorsk, Russia. They returned to competition at the Mont Blanc Trophy, which they won. They finished 8th at the 2011 World Championships.

2011–12

Cappellini/Lanotte won bronze medals at 2011 Skate Canada International and the 2011 Trophee Eric Bompard. After winning their first national title, they came in sixth at the 2012 World Championships.

2012–13

In June 2012, Cappellini/Lanotte began training with

Igor Shpilband Igor Yuryevich Shpilband (, born July 14, 1964) is an American ice dancing coach and former competitor for the Soviet Union. He is the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana Gladkova. P ...

Novi, Michigan Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census ...

. Paola Mezzadri in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

remained their primary coach, while Novi became their second training base. Cappellini sprained her left shoulder during the summer. In July, they decided to change their planned free dance. Cappellini/Lanotte began the 2012–13 season with silver at the 2012 Finlandia Trophy. Winning silver at both of their Grand Prix events, the 2012 Skate Canada and the 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard, they qualified for their second Grand Prix Final, where they came in fourth. Cappellini/Lanotte won their first European medal, bronze, at the 2013 European Championships. They then placed fourth at the 2013 World Championships in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

2013–14 season

In the 2013–14 season, Cappellini/Lanotte were awarded another pair of silver medals on the Grand Prix series. They placed sixth at the Grand Prix Final before winning gold at the 2014 European Championships in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. The duo finished sixth at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

. Cappellini/Lanotte ended their season at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. Ranked first in the short dance and fourth in the free dance, they ended the competition in first overall, 0.02 of a point ahead of Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje and 0.06 ahead of France's

Nathalie Pechalat Nathalie is a female given name. It is a variant of the name Natalie/ Natalia which is found in many languages, and is especially common in French and English-speaking countries. Notable people with the name include: * Nathalie (born 1979), Ita ...

Fabian Bourzat Fabian Bourzat (born 19 December 1980) is a French retired ice dancer. With partner Nathalie Péchalat, he is a two-time World bronze medalist (2012, 2014), a two-time European champion (2011–2012), and a five-time French national champion ...

. They became the second Italian ice dancers to win the World title.

2014–15 season

In July 2014, Cappellini/Lanotte began working with Marina Zueva in

Canton, Michigan Canton Township (commonly known simply as Canton) is a charter township in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Canton is located roughly west of downtown Detroit, and e ...

, in addition to Mezzadri in Milan. For the 2014-15 Grand Prix season, they were assigned to

Cup of China The Cup of China is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Chinese Skating Association (), and part of the ISU Grand Prix Series. The first competition was held in ...

and

Trophée Éric Bompard The Grand Prix de France is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the French Federation of Ice Sports () (FFIS). The first iteration of the Grand Prix de France was h ...

. They withdrew from Trophée Bompard to make changes to their programs. The team took silver at the 2015 European Championships in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, behind France's

Gabriella Papadakis Gabriella Maria Papadakis (born 10 May 1995) is a retired French ice dancer. With former partner, Guillaume Cizeron, she is a 2022 Olympic champion, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a f ...

Guillaume Cizeron Guillaume Cizeron (born 12 November 1994) is a French ice dancer. With former partner, Gabriella Papadakis, he is the 2022 Olympic champion, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a five-time World champion (2015–2016, 2018–2019, 2022), a fiv ...

. They capped off their season with a fourth-place finish at the 2015 World Championships in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

2015–16 season

Cappellini/Lanotte began the 2015–16 season by winning the

Lombardia Trophy The Lombardia Trophy is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Italian Ice Sports Federation (). The competition debuted in 2013 in Sesto San Giovanni, and when the I ...

. They won their first Grand Prix gold at the

, followed by a silver at 2015 Rostelecom Cup. They qualified for the Grand Prix Final where they won the bronze medal behind Americans Madison Chock/

Evan Bates Evan Bates (born February 23, 1989) is an American ice dancer. With his wife and skating partner, Madison Chock, he is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist in the Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Team event, team event, a three-time World ...

. Cappellini/Lanotte won silver at the 2016 European Championships in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, Slovakia, finishing second to Papadakis/Cizeron. At the 2016 World Championships in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, they placed sixth in the short dance, fourth in the free, and fourth overall.

2016-17 season

Cappellini/Lanotte began their 2016–17 season by winning the CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Their Grand Prix assignments were

and the

NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Japan Skating Federation. The first NHK Trophy was held in 1979 in Tokyo. When the ISU launched the Champ ...

. They finished fourth at Skate Canada and won the bronze medal at NHK behind Papadakis/Cizeron. Cappellini/Lanotte won the silver medal at the 2017 European Championships behind Papadakis/Cizeron. They went on to win the

Bavarian Open The Bavarian Open is an international figure skating competition held in February at the Eissportzentrum Oberstdorf in Oberstdorf, Germany. It is organized by the Skating Union of Bavaria. Since 2011, it has been sanctioned by the Deutsche Eisla ...

before finishing sixth at the 2017 World Championships to finish their season.

2017-18 season

To begin their 2017–18 season, Cappellini/Lanotte won gold at the 2017 CS Minsk-Arena Ice Star. For their Grand Prix series, they were assigned the

and

. Cappellini/Lanotte won bronze at NHK behind Americans Madison Hubbell / Zachary Donahue. They went on to win silver at Skate America behind Americans

Maia Shibutani Maia Harumi Shibutani (born July 20, 1994) is an American ice dancer. Partnered with her brother Alex Shibutani, she is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (2018), a three-time World medalist (silver in 2016, bronze in 2011 and 2017), the 2016 F ...

/ Alex Shibutani. They qualified for the Grand Prix Final where they finished in sixth place. At the

2018 European Championships The 2018 European Championships were the first edition of the European Championships (multi-sport event), European Championships. It was a multi-sport event which took place in Berlin, Germany, and Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (with Edinburg ...

, Cappellini/Lanotte finished fourth overall after winning bronze in the short dance and placing fifth in the free dance. At the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

, Cappellini/Lanotte competed in the team event where Team Italy finished fourth behind Team USA. In the individual event, Cappellini/Lanotte placed fifth in the short dance and sixth in the free dance to give them a sixth-place finish overall. Cappellini/Lanotte closed their season with a fourth-place finish at the 2018 World Championships.

Post-competitive career

Following her competitive career, Cappellini began working as a figure skating choreographer. She has choreographed programs for: * Rebecca Ghilardi/ Filippo Ambrosini *

Annika Hocke Annika Maria Hocke (born 16 July 2000) is a German pair skater. With her skating partner, Robert Kunkel, she is the 2023 European Figure Skating Championships, 2023 European bronze medalist, the 2023 Skate America champion, 2022 Grand Prix de Fr ...

/ Robert Kunkel * Elizaveta Tuktamysheva * Anna Valesi/ Manuel Piazza * Eliska Zakova/ Filip Mencl

Programs

With Lanotte

With Zanni

With Lombardi

Competitive highlights

''GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''

With Lanotte

With Zanni

With Lombardi

Detailed results

With Lanotte

References

External links

*
Anna Cappellini
at

Fiamme Azzurre The Gruppo Sportivo Fiamme Azzurre is the sport section of the Italian police force Polizia Penitenziaria. History The first participation at the Summer Olympic Games was in 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul 1988 while the one at the Winter Olympic Gam ...

Cappellini/Lanotte
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cappellini, Anna Italian female ice dancers 1987 births Figure skaters from Como Living people Medalists at the 2007 Winter Universiade Figure skaters at the 2007 Winter Universiade Figure skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Olympic figure skaters for Italy Figure skaters of Fiamme Azzurre European Figure Skating Championships medalists Winter World University Games medalists in figure skating FISU World University Games gold medalists for Italy World Figure Skating Championships medalists Fantasy on Ice main cast members 21st-century Italian sportswomen